The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-22

In a leathefIi bottle siuns over the machilias
OF his saddle. Concho raised the bottle to
his lips, took a long draught, made wry
face, and ejaculato,:
"Carajoi'
1t appeared that the bottle did not contain
aSuar,liente, but had lately been filled in a
tavern near Tres Pines by an Irishman who
sold bal American whisky under that pleas
ing Castilian title Nevertheless, Concho had
clrcnaiy nearly eInptied the bottle, and 1t fell
back against the saddle as yellow and faccid
as his own checks. Thus REINFORCED, Concho
turned to look ut the valley behind him, from
which he had climbed since noon. 1t was q
sterile waste bor,lered here and there by ara
BILE fringes and valdas of meadow land, but in
the main dusty, dry and forbidding. His eye
rested for n moment on low, white cloud
line on the eastern horizon, but hooking
and unsubstantial that it seemed to come and
10 as no gazed. Concho struck his forehead
and winked his hot eyelids. Was it the Sierras
or the cursed American whiskyl
Again he recommended the ascent. At times
the half worn, half invisible trail became ut
terry lost in tho bare black out-crop of the
ridge, but his sagacious mule soon found it
again, until, stepping upon a loose bowlder,
she sifppesi anu feli- III VAIN COncnO trieu I'd
lift her from out the ruin of camp kettles,
prospecting pans and picks; she remained
quietly recuInbent, occasionally raising her
head as if to contsmplatively glance over the
arid plain below Then he had recourse to
useless blows. Then he essayed profanity Of
secular kind, such rs Assassin" "Thief,"
@Bcsrst with pigs head, y "Food for the Bulls
HONS" but with no effect.
Then no had recourse to the curse ecclesias-
tic: "Ah, JUDAS Iscariot. Is it thus, renegade
and traitor, thou leavest me, thy master, a
leassue from camp and supper waiting' Ssealer
of the 5aerament, get upl"
Still no effect. Concho began to feel I'M
easy; never before had a mule of pious line
a-e failed to respond to this kind of exhorta-
ton. He made one more desperate attempt:
@Ah, deifier of the aitarl lie not therel
Leoki- he threw his hand into the air, extend
ing the fingers suddenly. Behold, fend! l
exercise tiieel Hal tremblestl Look but u lit
cate thec-Mula!"
"What are you kicking up such a devil of
row down there for." said a gruff voice from
the rocks above.
Concho shuddered. Could it be that the
ttNii wis icthiy bohits sohy away "AiA AA'
mule. lie dared not look up.
"Come now," continued the voice, "you just
lct up ON that mule, you d old Greaser.
Don't you see she's slipped her shoulder."
Alarmed as Concho was Mt the information,
he could not help feeling to a certain extent
relieved. She was lamed, but had not lost her
standing as good Catholic.
He ventured to lift his eyes. A stranger
an Americana from his dress and accent
was descending tho rocks toward him. He
was a slight-built man with u dark, smooth
face, that would have been quite common
place and inexpensive but for his left eye, in
which all that was villainous in him ap-
parcntly conferred Shut that eye, and you
had the features and expression of an or
binary man; cover up those features, and the
apparently observed this too, and had, by
paralysis of the nerve, ironically dropped the
corner of the upper lii over it like a CURTAIN,
laughed at her handiwork, and turned him
loose to prey upon the creGiulous world
"What you doing here's" said the
stranger after he had assisted Concho in
bringing the mule to her feet, and a helpless
halt.
"Prospccting, Senior"
The stranger turned his respectable right
eye toward Concho, while his left looked
unutterablc scorn and wickedness over the
landscape
prospecting, what for!'